Registration of brick kilns is a serious issue neglected by the government
The alleged lack of interest in the labour department to register brick kilns is seen with suspicion by many. Brick kiln owners, it is believed, are mostly associated with political groups or are themselves active in contemporary politics.
Labour department officials term these claims baseless. Syed Hasnat Javed, Director, Labour Welfare, Punjab says there is no problem with the registration of brick kilns as business entities under the Factories’ Act of 1934. To date, he says, more than 5,700 brick kilns have been registered in Punjab and there may be around 700 to 1000 kilns which are yet to be registered. He says these figures may be less than those quoted by NGOs and labour rights’ activists without documentary proof.
Hasnat says the real issue is the registration of brick kiln workers with the Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI), which offers a lot of facilities to the beneficiaries. No doubt, he says, the employees registered with PESSI are well off. They are not mainly dependent on peshgis to meet their expenses and many facilities are offered to them by the state free of cost. He says a worker is registered only if the employer confirms in writing that he is his employee and he (the employer) is ready to pay contribution to the department for his coverage.
Brick kiln owners are reluctant to do that. They say both the PESSI and EOBI demand regular contribution of 6 per cent of the minimum wage (Rs 12,000 in Punjab at the moment) for registration and coverage of workers every month. They say the contribution amount is too high and has to be paid even when brick kilns are closed due to weather conditions, lack of buying orders, or for any other reasons.
An employee with PESSI says the rate of contribution is not high as the whole family is covered if the head is registered and the benefits are too many. For example, he says, "PESSI offers cash benefits to registered workers and their dependents, provides them medical treatment, covers school fees of their children and even gives them money to buy dowry for their daughters of marriageable age."
It also promises sickness benefits of up to 75 per cent wages for 120 days, paid 12-week maternity leave for women, death grant in case of death in the family, six-month salary for those injured at workplace, regular allowance for those disabled while at work, free Haj facility through draw and free medical education for children of workers at social security teaching hospitals.
When contacted, a spokesman of brick kiln owners says they are ready to pay contributions under social security only if the benchmark set for calculations is brought down considerably. He says the government must realise that brick kilns work differently and operate on a seasonal basis and should not be forced to pay contributions.
But this does not mean that brick kiln owners are concerned about their workers, he says, "They have decided to pool resources and provide facilities, such as medical care, to workers and education to their children under.
"These services will be offered from the platform of Right Aid Pakistan -- a welfare organisation funded by All Pakistan Brick Kiln Owners’ Association. A mobile clinic is already operational and giving medical treatment to workers on their doorstep," he says.